The majority of Latin American film productions are able to be completed thanks to support form foreign institutes and governments. So far, funds from Latin American governments have been scarce and hard to obtain. This is why support from European and North American countries has been, to this date, a way out for productions in South America.
An example is the Sundance Institute, which as part of its support programs for production, post-production and exhibition of independent documentaries, has contributed to the film Donde Estan (Where are they) by María Teresa Rodríguez. It is a co-production between El Salvador and the U.S. that portrays the search of children who disappeared during the civil war.Under the Documentary Filmmaking Program, the same institute gave $575,000 to 29 projects from nine countries, two of which were Latin American. Who is Dayani Cristal, is a co-production between Mexico and England that combines drama and documentary in an investigation of a man’s death on the border between Mexico and the U.S. Magic Words by Mercedes Moncada is a documentary from Nicaragua where Moncada returns to her hometown to explore her identity and memory.The World Cinema Fund of the Berlin Festival has also provided support to two Latin American filmmakers, out of the eight projects that will receive this funding. From Guatemala, Julio Hernández Cordón, will receive 30,000 Euros for the production of his latest work Polvo. Cordón is well known form films like Gasolina and Las Marimbas del Infierno (VLAFF 9). The Brazilian directors Clarissa Campolina and Helvecio Marins Jr. will get the same amount to support the production Girimunho, a co-production between the Brazilian Teia Filmes and the German Autentika Films.
The distribution company Kairos Filmverleih will also receive funds to distribute the Chilean Huacho by Alejandro Fernández Almendras, that will be released next summer in Germany.The World Cinema Festival of Berlin awarded over 162,000 Euros.